Avengers: Age of Ultron Mark Ruffalo Says There's a Confrontation Coming Between The Hulk and Banner

'The Vision is dope and Ultron is amazing.'

Earlier this year, IGN was able to visit the set of Avengers: Age of Ultron in London with a small group of journalists. We'll have plenty more on all of the things we saw and discovered during our journey in the weeks and months to come.

For now, we're able to share our conversations with Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Jr., and his buddy and parter in crime-fighting, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo).

They're really just teasing things in these interviews, but if you'd rather go into the film completely blank...You are warned, we do discuss it...

Take a look at our interview with Ruffalo below for more on his possible romance with Black Widow, how he and Stark work together to create powerful forces, his antagonistic relationship with Scarlet Witch, and what he learned from Andy Serkis.

Are Hulk and Widow Forming a Special Bond?:

Question: So you got the script and you were noticing that the beginning has you in a relationship with Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow. Were you like, 'This is gonna' be a very tough job'?

Mark Ruffalo: [Looking around nervously] Uhhh, we don’t have a relation---What kind of relationship? [Laughs}

Q: We heard that maybe there was a closer relationship between the characters?

Ruffalo: [Looks to Disney representative] Did you tell them that? Okay, I’ll play. I’ll play along. Yeah, yeah. There’s a really important relationship between…[Laughs] I was just happy that I was in the movie at all! And any scenes that I got to be with her were...a big bonus.

What's the Balance Between Banner and The Hulk?:

There is a confrontation brewing between the Hulk consciousness and the Banner consciousness.

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Q: It feels like Marvel figured out how to make a definitive Hulk in The Avengers. This time around what is the balance between Banner and Hulk?

Ruffalo: There's more of him. Banner and Hulk kind of have come to a detente. [Laughs] We left the last time with this idea that I’m always angry and therefore I have some control over it. But with anger, when you think you have control over it, you absolutely don’t. And so there’s still a wrangling going on. There is a confrontation brewing between the Hulk consciousness and the Banner consciousness that I think we’re starting to head into right now.

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Q: You and Joss did a really good job developing Banner for the first movie. And we haven’t really seen him much since then. Did you know that there were more places he wanted to go with this character?

Ruffalo: Yeah, I think he’s trying to become more a part of a group. I don’t think he’s ever felt like part of a family or part of something. He’s always sort of been this outside person or on the run -- trying to shun humanity. [Laughs] But now I feel like he has the idea that maybe he is part of something and he’s trying to really be a part of something. And he feels more comfortable with the fantasy that he could actually be a part of something. But I still think it’s a struggle for him and I don't think he ever fully has it under control. But I think in this version he’s sort of as close to having a normal life as he possibly could. Which might include…some romance. But, you know is that ever possible for Banner is really the question.

Banner + Stark = Ultron:

In this version he’s sort of as close to having a normal life as he possibly could.

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Q: We got a really good idea of the relationship between Tony and Bruce in Avengers. Obviously in Iron Man 3 it’s kinda hinted that it’s continued. We’ve heard that they both have an extremely important role in the creation of Ultron. That seemed like a very core relationship. Can you talk about that?

Ruffalo: Basically, Tony took the orphan Banner into the fold. I was just made aware of where my apartment was in the Stark Complex...the Stark Tower. And so, you know, I think they’re working together. I have a Lab and Banner’s working on a lot of stuff. And Tony’s working on his own stuff and they complement each other. And so you could tell that when we get into this film that they’ve been working together. And they’ve gotten even more of a short hand together. So that's been built out quite a lot and it’s fun. It’s cool.

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Q: As a follow up, they had mentioned yesterday that you fight Tony while he's in the Hulkbuster. Is that more of a like a, 'Hey can I take you down?' Like a mutual decision fight?

Ruffalo: Oh, you mean like 'Hey, let’s see if we can do this?' It’s a little bit like Cool Hand Luke that way. You know, it's 'You think you could beat me, and then I’ll beat the crap out of you, and then I beat the crap out of him.' [Laughs] It’s kinda’ like that, but not totally like that. It has a surprise. A little twist to it as well.

Will We Get to Know Hulk Better?:

I think you wanna' be ambiguous enough not to cover too much ground so that you have somewhere to go if they ever do wanna' do a stand alone.

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Q: Cap, Thor and Iron Man had their own movies to kind of like develop their characters. Do you have to do that in this movie? Is it harder to do that in the movie?

Ruffalo: Well I think the mythology of Banner is just kind of known because of the other movies. You know we’re sort of building off of them, but it’s similar. He’s on the run. He doesn’t want to turn into the Hulk. All people want him to do is to turn into the Hulk. And so, you know I think that it’s not as uphill a battle as introducing a completely new character. And the nature of these movies is that there’s 8 of us and it’s 10 minutes of screen time for each of us...and then if we include the bad guys. So it’s hard to do a lot of character development in it. But I think this movie goes even more into that than the last one for everybody. And so you're sort of playing catch up, but also I think you want to be ambiguous enough not to cover too much ground so that you have somewhere to go if they ever do want to do a stand alone. Another stand alone.

How Scarlet Witch Gets Inside Their Minds:

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It’s like Sid and Nancy. She’s the Nancy. We're all the Sid.

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Q: One of the things they we were talking about yesterday was Scarlet Witch sort of being able to call upon the inner demons of the Avengers.

Ruffalo: That’s a bad trip.

Q: Well, your inner demon IS The Hulk. So, Is she able to just call up the Hulk and control him?

Ruffalo: She’s able to bring out the worst in us. And there are people in our lives who can do that. And somehow when you're an actor you tend to gravitate towards those people. She’s like...It’s like Sid and Nancy. She’s the Nancy. We're all the Sid. She’s everyone’s Nancy. [Laughs]

Q: Of all of the new characters that are introduced in the movie, is there someone that excites you the most? Or you really think is cool and that audiences will freak out about?

Ruffalo: I love the new kids on the block. I love Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. They’re really cool. The characters.

Ultron and The Vision, Hulk's 'Baby':

He’s like a specimen when he walks out in that thing. He’s like the perfect man. He’s The Vision.

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Q : What's your relationship like with The Vision?

Ruffalo: The vision is the Vision! He is so dope. Ohhh, he’s my baby! He’s pretty incredible. And the idea of him and where he comes from! It's just...he’s very independent. He is a really great character. Yeah, people are gonna' love The Vision. And Ultron’s amazing. He’s amazing. It’s really good.

Q: How much one-one-one time did you have with James Spader [who plays Ultron]?

Ruffalo: We have a lot of scenes together. I've done a lot as a group. I have a couple of one-on-one things with him, but I love him. He’s great. And he’s gonna' be...It’s like King Lear. It’s great.

Ruffalo: All I know is I’m happy that I walk in and I leave the trailer and I can go back an hour later and Paul Bettany’s still in make-up. [Laughs] That makes me feel good. Sorry Paul. But you should see him. And he’s like a specimen when he walks out in that thing. He’s like the perfect man. He’s The Vision.

Continue on for what Ruffalo learned from Andy Serkis, plus Stark's crazy house party...